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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bound — certain
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. tube — a container
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. march — the month
  10. court — of law
  11. march — the month
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — of a king
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — for sport
  18. bound — obliged
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com